Polls show the president’s popularity has dropped to nearly 40% in the state. By August, Mr. McDonnell had so successfully lashed Mr. Deeds to the White House that the Democrat was down by 15 points.
If there is a saving grace for Mr. Deeds—and there may yet be—it is also a teaching moment for Republicans. Mr. McDonnell’s early strength seemed to suggest the GOP had learned its lesson and was determined to stop alienating voters. The Republican, a social conservative, let his record on those questions speak for itself, and instead ran a disciplined campaign focused on bread-and-butter economic concerns. Mr. Deeds kept trying to paint his opponent as too conservative for the state, but most Virginians saw a man offering solutions to their top worries.